Board games are a very well known and very pervasive type of game and acquire their name from the use of a generally planar often folding board as the basis of the game. While initially board games comprised conventional games such as chess or checkers, in early developments various games which may be generally described as "pathway" type games were developed. Such pathway games have resulted in an even greater popularity and variety of board games. Thus, board games have been provided which utilize a variety of game play rules and themes. Additionally, board games have been provided which utilize a variety of appearances often brightly colored and amusing to improve the attractiveness of the board game.
While the variety of board games that have been provided by practitioners in the art is virtually endless, typically such board games include a generally planar board upon which a plurality of segments or stations are defined. Often the segments or stations are arranged in a travel pathway defining a start and an end station of position. A plurality of tokens or markers are usually provided which allow each player to manipulate their particular element through the game pathway. A variety of game rules controlling the game play together with various so-called "chance" devices such as dice, spinners or decks of instruction baring cards are utilized to control the flow of game play.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,155 issued to Gross sets forth a LOOSE LEAF BOUND BOARD GAMES having a board game kit which includes a loose leaf binder having a front panel and a bottom panel and a connecting rib supporting several binders. A plurality of board games are removably held by the binder each of which includes an appendage with an appropriate holds for binder retention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,252 issued to Mc Phaul sets forth a THREE-DIMENSIONAL MULTI-TIERED CHESS BOARD having a generally rectangular chess board defining columns and rows of square spaces. A center group of defined spaces is supported at a substantially lower tier than the outer most border of spaces. Intermediate spacers are supported at intermediate tiers to produce a downwardly stepped succession of tiers between the upper most outer boarder and the lower most center tier.
In another well known art, various books and cards have been provided which utilize combinations of features known generally in the art as "pop-ups". The structure and fabrication of pop-ups are well known in the art and have been provided in a wide variety of structures and operative mechanisms. Whiled varied in structure and type, basically all pop-ups utilize some form of folding cover sheets which enclose the pop-up feature elements. The pop-up elements themselves are often folded between the covers and are either spring loaded to rise when the covers are separated such as the opening of a book or alternatively are coupled to various sliding members which raise and lower the pop-up elements as the book or card is opened or closed.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,681 issued to Penick sets forth PAPER POP-UP DEVICES AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME for use in a magazine or other publication or for use by itself in applications such as mailers or the like. The device includes two display elements hingedly connected to a front of two covers. The opening of the front cover forces erection of the two display elements and allows the elements to stand up out of the plane thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,992,618 issued to Jeffreys sets forth a BOOK having a plurality of pages hingedly secured to a common binder. Each page supports one or more pop-up features hingedly coupled between facing pages such that opening of the book between any two facing pages raises the supported pop-up elements upwardly from the plane of the pages.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,973 issued to Penick et al. sets forth POP-UPS AND METHODS OF MAKING capable of fabrication by mechanical mass production particularly as a part of a web press operation. A pair of pop-up elements in the form of two panels are attached to one another preferably by an adhesive and are interconnected by hinges to base pieces which constitute halves of a folder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,078 issued to Thomsen sets forth an PICTURE BOOK WITH PLAY EFFECT having a plurality of toy elements with modularly dimensioned coupling means. The toy elements may be placed on a picture plane provided with correspondingly dimensioned positioning recesses or elevations. A child may play with the toy elements to arrange a three dimensional representation of the situation described in the story text.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,507 issued to Ozrovitz sets forth an INSTRUCTIONAL CHILD'S STORY AND PICTURE BOOK including a front cover, a back cover and a plurality of pages pivotally disposed between the covers. At least one of the pages includes text on one or more sides and a puzzle on the other side. The puzzle includes a plurality of interlocking puzzle pieces which provide hand and eye coordination and recognition skill development for children.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,706 issued to Wood sets forth an MULTIPLE-IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE having a folded card like promotional display device which includes first and second panels pivotally movable between a closed condition and a relatively open condition. The device includes a third panel located between and depending from the first and second panels. A first image carried on a first face of the third panel is viewable in the closed condition of the device through a window defined in the first panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,199 issued to Morris sets forth a BOOK HAVING A POP-UP TOY in which a binder supports a plurality of pages and defines a generally cylindrical member. A pop-up toy is resiliently supported within the binder and is spring loaded to rise abruptly when released.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,124 issued to Bernard et al. sets forth a COLLAPSIBLE GAME USEABLE AS A PROMOTIONAL DEVICE having a game supported within a case and defining a plurality of panels which fold outwardly to form a simulated basketball backboard and underlying court.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,520 issued to Pridonoff et al. sets forth a collapsible structure forming a three dimensional self supporting play and amusement stage for a child.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,204 issued to Lippman sets forth a THREE-DIMENSIONAL BOOK OR GAME BOARD STRUCTURE configurable in either an open or closed configuration. The game board is fabricated of a plurality of individual leaves in which the leaves have substantial thickness and in which the outline shape of any individual leaf is defined in essentially two dimensions. The two dimensional shape or size of the leaves varies from one leaf to another such that the closed book assumes the form of a distinct three dimensional structure having a recognizable shape. The leaves are capable of lying in a single plane when unfolded.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have improved the art and in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for ever more improved, interesting and amusing board game apparatus.